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Lenovo - News, Features, and Slideshows
Lenovo in pictures
Would you like your smartphone's cover in wood or leather? And how about the device's metal trim?
Most of Lenovo's ThinkPad laptops come with Intel chips. While that remains the case, a new ThinkPad 11e model is also being offered with an optional Advanced Micro Devices chip.
If you're looking to buy solid state drives (SSDs) from SanDisk to speed up your servers, you might be out of luck. A California court has issued a preliminary sales ban for controller chips that SanDisk uses in its high-speed SSDs.
Apple sold a record 5.75 million Macs in the quarter that ended December 31, an increase of 19 per cent that beat the overall industry by a wide margin, according to IDC.
The best and most noteworthy products and technologies found at CES 2015.
After Apple and Samsung, which companies are selling the most smartphones around the globe?
Things are out of whack at Samsung and a number of fairly drastic changes are in store.
Google and Samsung have grown closer over the past week following Google's sale of Motorola to Lenovo and a 10-year global patent cross-license agreement signed by the tech giants.
Apple won't lose any sleep over the Lenovo acquisition of Google's Motorola handset business, analysts said today.
Now that Google has gotten rid of Motorola Mobility, the company can focus on its newest projects, like the smart home, wearable computers and robotics.
- Marriott CIO: FCC message on WiFi blocking loud and clear
- Microsoft to business: Don't worry about Windows 10, consumers will test it
- Google Now adds data from Lyft, Airbnb and many more apps
- Outlook app for Android and iOS boosts Microsoft's mobile comeback
- MIT randomizes tasks to speed massive multicore processors
- Report: Marketing teams must be restructured
- How virtual reality stole the show at Sundance Film Festival
- Qantas tests virtual reality for in-flight entertainment
- Report: Data-driven marketing the norm as marketers aim for 1-to-1 customer connections
- Updated: Jeanswest sets sights on customer growth with new omni-channel capabilities


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Holiday shopping season is coming down to the wire, and in Kalispell, local businesses have been working hard to make the most of it.
At Wheaton’s Cycle, November sales were higher than usual this year -- boosted in part by the success of Small Business Saturday, but also because of innovations in the cycling industry and efforts of store staff to attract customers.
Store manager Hans Axelsen tells us some of the most popular items this time of year are stocking stuffers, like lights, bells and accessories, as well as kids' bikes and fat bikes, a new trend in cycling that allows riders to travel on sand and snow.
Axelsen also says that the company’s website has helped with sales outside of the area, and helped to draw customers into the store.
"We have increased its ability to allow you to shop and then they usually call us about information that usually will lure that customer either into the store or maybe we handle an online sale either directly over the phone, but it has helped us out quite a bit." Axelson says of the store's website.

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Annual inflation in the Eurozone (EZ15) amounted to 1.6% in December 2008. One year earlier inflation had amounted to 3.1%. As compared to November prices even fell by on average 0.1% in December 2008. Annual inflation of the EU27 was at 2.2% in December 2008 (December 2007: 3.2%). In the period from November to December last year inflation in the EU27 fell by 0.1%. These figures were published yesterday by the European Statistical Office.
In December 2008 the lowest annual inflation rates were registered in Luxembourg (0.7%), Portugal (0.8%) and Germany (1.1%) and the highest in Latvia (10.4%), Lithuania (8.5%) and Estonia (7.5%). In 24 of the member states annual inflation in December was smaller than that in November. In Malta it amounted to +5.0% in December following -4.9% in November.
The lowest average inflation rates in 2008 were registered in the Netherlands (2.2%), Portugal (2.7%) and Germany (2.8%), while the highest were to be found in Latvia (15.3%), Bulgaria (12.0%) and Lithuania (11.1%).
In December 2008 the main driving factors of annual inflation were housing (3.6%), alcohol and tobacco (3.5%) as well as restaurants and hotels (3.3%). Those factors which curbed inflation were transportation (-2.5%), telecommunication (-1.8%) as well as leisure and culture (0.3%).
The main monthly inflation drivers in December last year were leisure and culture (2.0%), restaurants and hotels (1.0%) as well as foodstuffs (0.2%). On the other hand, inflation was curbed by price reductions in transportation (-1.9%), clothing and shoe ware (-0.8%) as well as housing (-0.7%).


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Commercial drones are shaping the way entrepreneurs are running their businesses. Along with 7 other new technologies, drone technology will have a great impact on businesses in the years to come.
Drones are poised to become a viable solution for all kinds of businesses in the very near term. In June 2016, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared a path for commercial drone use, establishing safe-use rules that include airspace, speed, pilot certification, and other guidelines for operators. – Read more at:
Dr Kevin Curran, senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, says the rapid advancement of drone technology, combined with a desire to reduce fuel costs, means drones will become commonplace over the next five years – PwC estimates the market will be worth $127bn by 2020, according to a report by The Guardian.
Among businesses in the UK that will be using drones are supermarket deliveries, aerial photography, advertising at public events and security/surveillance, Curran predicted with a caveat that business owners need to heed the regulations set forth by the Civil Aviation Authority and to take note of safety and privacy concerns. “Drones have rapidly developed in a short space of time,” says Curran. “In the future, we could well see businesses look to the skies.”
In the U.S., the same forecast is seen for commercial drones. In fact, a number of real estate companies are already realizing the benefit of providing drone photography services in marketing properties.
Real estate and insurance companies are examples of businesses and industries with a growing interest in making better use of UAS technologies. Images captured by UAS can help an insurance company quickly assess damage in an area harmed by a natural disaster, while it also can be used by real estate companies to share images of land or houses in ways not possible before. – Read more at:
And the future looks wide open for drones in photography, film and video production – Shutterstock predicted in a recent article. Here’s an excerpt:
As the consumer market grows exponentially, and with the commercial industry already testing deliveries, there will be plenty of drones in the sky. Keeping them all in the sky will be a major obstacle. As for the near future, expect to see more astonishing devices from the likes of companies like DJI, Yuneec, and even GoPro. While 2016 brought major steps forward in drone technology, this is still just the starting point. – See more at:
In addition, the economic impact of commercial drones cannot be overlooked. Here’s an excerpt from a report by Investopedia (2015):
A recent study estimates over the 10 year span from 2015 to 2025 UAV integration within national air space will account for $82.1 billion in job creation and economic growth. […] On a macroeconomic scale, integration of UAVs will create over 100,000 jobs. Over a ten year span, job creation from commercial drone use will consist primarily of manufacturing jobs. Likewise states will benefit from tax windfalls from increased economic activity. The implications clearly have a positive impact on businesses and consumers. – Read more at:
Meanwhile, drones are also useful in scientific research, such as shown by this report:
Bowhead whales like their afternoon siestas.That’s what UBC’s Sarah Fortune realized after she and her fellow researchers gathered and analyzed stunning drone footage of the mammals in the eastern Canadian Arctic. […] She believes this is the first intensive effort to study bowhead whales with the use of an aerial drone, and says researchers now have a better understanding of how the whales forage and travel.
Notwithstanding the risks of abuse (e.g. by terrorists) as well as issues of privacy and safety, commercial drones benefit the world in more ways than we can imagine.
Check out the amazing items below if you are interested in purchasing a drone :


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Way back in 2009, GM expressed a healthy dose of skepticism for a Georgetown startup called LivingSocial. Why that skepticism seems ill-placed for a little while, the inevitable came about: last week it was revealed that Living Social was sold to its ostensible rival, Groupon, for $0.
So although there was some rather eye-catching valuations between GM’s original skepticism and the zero dollar valuation, GM still feels justified. And for that reason (and because he doesn’t have any other article ideas at hand) GM will re-run his 2009 article below:
What are your five favorite bands? How about your five favorite movies? How about your five favorite fast food restaurants? If you’re a Facebook user, these inane questions probably sound awfully familiar. That’s because the ubiquitous social networking site has been lousy recently with people announcing to the world their top five favorite-things-that-nobody-else-cares-about. The application that enables this pointless ranking system is called LivingSocial, and surprisingly enough it was developed by a start-up company based right here in Georgetown.
And as of this week, LivingSocial became the number one Facebook application, registering 20 million active users. In doing so, it knocked out of the top spot another application called Causes that helps charities raise money.
Perhaps it’s a depressing sign of the times that people are less interested in charities than they are in broadcasting their five favorite 80’s power ballads, but so it goes. LivingSocial is run by four dough-faced guys that GM is convinced are brothers despite the different last names:
Before LivingSocial, CEO Tim O’Shaughnessy spent time at a post-AOL project of Steve Case, which he left in 2007. He started his own company around the brilliant observation that the life-blood of social networks like MySpace of Facebook is the use of other peoples’ artistic expression to describe each user’s unique individuality.
So raise your five favorite beers to your social networking neighbors as they straddle atop of the biggest damn thing to hit the Internet since Friendster or whatever else was the last biggest thing ever that nobody uses anymore.


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Amazon Listing Outs June 17 EU Release for 3DS Naruto Shippuden
Posted by Zach Kaplan
A new era begins
While Japan saw a 3DS entry in the Naruto Shippuden series on 31 March, an Amazon listing has outed a release date for the European localisation of Naruto Shippuden: The New Era 3D slotted for 17 June. There's no official retail description attached, but you can view footage of the game in the recently released 3DS software reel showing a mixture of fighting and platforming.
We'll have more info on this game as it comes our way, so stay tuned!


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Styrolution changes its name to Ineos Styrolution
Name change marks Styrolution GmbH’s integration under its new owner.
To mark its new ownership, styrenic supplier Styrolution has changed its company name to Ineos Styrolution Group GmbH.
Germany-based Styrolution was founded in October 2011 as a joint venture between BASF and Ineos. In November 2014, Ineos purchased BASF’s share and made Styrolution a wholly owned, standalone company within INEOS.
“Despite the company changing its names and logo, the company will continue to operate and actively pursue business opportunities as before,” the company said in a statement. “This includes continuing with the Triple Shift growth strategy introduced three years ago, which calls for a focus on higher-growth industries, styrenic specialties and Standard ABS and emerging markets. Corporate structure, company organization, all financing arrangements and operative contracts with business partners are not affected by the name and logo change. They remain as is.”
Ineos Styrolution supplies styrenics with a focus on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties. In 2014, the company reported sales of 5.4 billion euros. Ineos Styrolution employs approximately 3,100 people and operates 15 production sites in nine countries.


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The French food purveyor, FAUCHON, has just launched a dynamic new expansion plan to bring its pastries, teas, chocolate, and other sweet and savory delicacies to foodies around the world.
This year, FAUCHON is marking the 50th anniversary of a collaboration with a Japanese franchise/license partner, and in 2021 the brand opened 10 new points of sale (Nice, Paris, Dubai, Mexico, Tahiti, Kyoto, Bahrein, and others).
As we head deeper into 2022, FAUCHON wants to further develop Europe and the Americas, with a special emphasis on the United States and the United Kingdom. Here are some of the strategies and data behind this decision:
- Due to COVID restrictions and the difficulties for people to travel globally during the past year, FAUCHON decided to expand its international presence in order to meet its customers in their own countries.
- American and UK citizens have always represented a high percentage of clients in the FAUCHON store in Paris. It’s time to give them more opportunities to buy FAUCHON products closer to home.
- FAUCHON has always expanded worldwide through a franchise/license model. The brand brings its concepts and products with over 136 years of expertise and relies on local partners in each region who best know their market and operations. This is the perfect match for FAUCHON and its 50-year partnership in Japan is a testament to this successful business model. The brand also believes it is the best way to grow rapidly.
- FAUCHON develops two types of concepts: retail boutiques/shops and cafés.
- Currently, FAUCHON’s primary wholesale clients in these two regions are Neiman Marcus and Harrod’s.
Read more of the latest industry developments in our new edition: January/February 2022 Single Issue form – International Bakery (in-bakery.com)


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Recommended Downloads – Latest Version of softtv.ga
To play, you must you have the most recent version of the Google Maps App. Open it and click the search bar, where you'll see a Pokéball and a button that says "Press start." From there, you'll.
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Mar 31, 2014 If you think you're up to the challenge, grab your Poké Ball and the And follow Google Maps on Google+, Facebook and Twitter for hints and .
Mar 31, 2014 April Fool's has come early, with an update for Google's Maps application for both Android and iOS that's and family members, but Google is taking it to new levels this year with their Pokémon Challenge.
The Google Maps: Pokémon Challenge was a special event launched by Google during April Fools' Day 2014. During the event, users of the Google Maps mobile application were given the ability to catch Pokémon scattered around the actual.
If you think you’re up to the challenge, grab your Poké Ball and the newest version of Google Maps for iPhone or Android. Then tap the search bar, “press start,” and begin your quest.
Rowan Atkinson returns as the much-loved accidental secret agent in Johnny English Strikes Again. When a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all active undercover agents in Britain, the country’s only hope is called out of retirement.
The Google Map Pokemon Challenge. Google Map will offer a position as Pokemon Master at the end of the day. To qualify, you need to catch all of the 150 Pokemon positioned around the world on Google Map Mobile and all the finalist will battle all out at GooglePlex.
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Mar 31, 2014 Google has updated its Maps app with Pokemon. And while it may seem like an April Fools joke, it's true: launch the app, hit the search.
Gavinator Grovenator: I saw somewhere that the top three comments got a pokemon to change their avatar to and Google would add you maps a start Add a comment.
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To catch 'em all, grab your Poké Ball and the newest version of Google Maps for iPhone or Android. Then tap the search bar, "press start," and begin your quest. Then tap the search bar, "press.
Jul 11, 2016 For April Fools' Day 2014, Google invited players to catch pokémon inside of the Google Maps app. The pop-up game was simple.
Catch New Deals Pokémon with Google Play’s Biggest Deals of the Year! - Get special boxes with discounts on items such as Incubators and Star Pieces - Catch new Pokémon originally discovered in the Sinnoh Region - Discover the present-delivering Pokémon Delibird and a special festive Pikachu Pokémon GO has now introduced.
Mar 31, 2014 Google has been experimenting with augmented reality for a few years now, but never in such an ambitious way as it's announcing today. sort .


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Torrance, California (PRWEB) April 04, 2016
American Brewing Company, Inc. (OTC: ABRW), an award winning craft brewery in Washington that acquired the Búcha® Live Kombucha brand and business last year and has since sold their brewing assets to capitalize on the fast growing healthy functional beverage category, today announced that they will hold an investor conference call to discuss the Company’s annual results and strategic plans going forward.
The Company will hold an investor conference call on Thursday, April 7th, at 11:00 AM EDT. Interested investors can listen to the call and participate in a question and answer session by dialing into the conference line at 1-800-895-0198 (domestic) or 1-785-424-1053 (international), using the conference ID: CEO.
About American Brewing
Based in Edmonds, Washington, American Brewing Company was founded in 2010 and became a public company trading under the ABRW symbol on August 7, 2014. As a craft brewer, the Company won major industry awards and accolades for quality. In the 2nd Quarter of 2015, the Company acquired 100% of the assets of Búcha® Live Kombucha, from B&R Liquid Adventure, LLC for a combination of cash and stock. Since that time, the firm has been paying down the debt associated with the acquisition, integrating the company, building organizational capabilities, and expanding retail distribution. On October 7, 2015, American Brewing sold 100% of their beer assets improving their balance sheet and providing working capital to expand their healthy beverage business. The transaction is expected to finalize imminently.
For investor inquiries please contact:


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International Finance Corporation to offer subsidised consultancy for Kenyan companies
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) will help private businesses in Kenya adopt sustainable practices in line with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards at subsidised costs, as these issues become increasingly impactful on business performance.
The World Bank Group’s private sector financier on Thursday launched the Integrated ESG programme in Nairobi, through which it seeks to bolster sustainable business practices and reporting in Kenya and the region by providing affordable advisory services to companies.
It is primarily targeting businesses in the financial, manufacturing, agribusiness, and affordable housing sectors, and will work with regulators and associations such as the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers to onboard companies.
Ms Tania Mansour, IFC’s Africa regional lead for ESG advisory services, said the institution has focused on building strong corporate governance in Kenyan companies over the past 10 years, but now seeks to help them understand and embed the environmental and social aspects into their business practices.
“ESG is very crucial right now, especially in Africa and emerging markets, because of climate change, food insecurity, energy insecurity, and the lingering effects of Covid-19; there’s a lot of financial support needed,” she told the Nation.
In Africa, IFC has unveiled similar programmes in Rwanda, South Africa, and Tunisia, and the Nairobi initiative will extend services to other countries in the region, including Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.
Ms Mansour said consumers, investors, and employees are becoming conscious of sustainability issues, and businesses which do not embrace and report on them may soon find themselves struggling to stay afloat.


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It’s no secret that many consumers now consider the sustainability of a product before purchasing, much like they consider price or quality. In fact, a recent study suggests that more than a third of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products as demand grows for environmentally friendly alternatives.
When you think of sustainability, you might think of CPG brands practicing ethical sourcing or using recyclable packaging.
But did you know that you can make your supply chain greener, too?
Companies like Tesla have brought electric semi-trucks into the game. At the end of 2022, Tesla delivered its first semis to PepsiCo. Elon Musk revealed that one of Tesla’s battery powered class 8 semi-trucks completed a 500-mile trip fully loaded with 81,000 pounds of cargo – all off a single charge.
Although massive improvements to fuel efficiency and alternative energy vehicles has occurred over the past few decades, widespread implementation of these advancements is still aspirational.
Decreasing Fuel Consumption through Route Optimization
In the meantime, one of the best ways for manufacturers to find fuel efficiency improvements and emission-curbing opportunities is through route optimization. Advanced technological suites and logistics planning methodology can help brands find optimal routing for their deliveries, reducing route miles and other inefficiencies that truck drivers commonly encounter.
Aligning Parts of the Supply Chain
Misaligned production, warehousing, and transportation functions are also a large source of supply chain inefficiencies. They can cost brands big in wasted resources, time, and money.
By better aligning the disparate parts of a supply chain, manufacturers can find ways to eliminate operational issues that contribute to less sustainable practices within an organization. This recalibration can be achieved by performing an in-depth network evaluation to understand how production, storage, and outbound logistics can collectively work towards sustainability.
Finding Freight Consolidation Opportunities
Freight consolidation offers a multitude of benefits to CPG brands. Besides reducing fuel costs and emissions, consolidation also helps brands hit key retailer benchmarks like OTIF and MABD, improving customer relationships.
Considering Alternative Transportation Modes for Sustainable Logistics
How you ship products is another way to connect with consumers who are becoming increasingly likely to consider sustainability before making a purchase.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), 30 million trucks on U.S. roads generate about 7% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. This is more than aviation, maritime shipping, and rail combined!
The impact of adopting an intermodal shipping strategy is significant in contributing to sustainable operations. If just 10% of the freight that moves by the largest trucks (Class 7 & Class 8) were carried by rail instead, greenhouse gas emissions would fall by approximately 17 million tons. That reduction is the equivalent of removing around 3.2 million cars from U.S. highways for a year or planting 400 million trees.
Tracking Key Metrics to Drive Sustainable Logistics Performance Improvement
Technology has transformed the way the supply chain operates by increasing visibility throughout the life of a load.
This added transparency allows vendors to track key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive performance initiatives.
These typically translate to increased sustainability by eliminating inefficiencies that drive up cost and use resources. Reducing KPIs like transit time to distance or average dwell time can benefit your supply chain’s sustainability.
Working with Providers That Value Sustainability Logistics
If your customers value sustainability, you should too. Does making your supply chain greener feel overwhelming? Is it the last thing on your list of your priorities?
Consider working with a forward-thinking logistics provider who can take that responsibility off your plate.
Zipline Logistics is a registered SmartWay Transport Partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA’s SmartWay program helps companies advance supply chain sustainability by measuring, benchmarking, and improving freight transportation efficiency.
We help customers reduce both carbon emissions and overall transportation spending by leveraging data analytics and optimization technologies to identify unique order consolidation, scheduling, and routing solutions.
Additionally, we work alongside our carrier partners to fill empty backhaul miles and reduce unused truck space. Maximizing assets and identifying shared transportation opportunities between partners is a win-win. It means fewer trucks on the road, higher efficiencies, lower emissions, and smarter spending.
Ready to put both the environment and your customers’ needs first? Reach out to us today.


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Scrapping GST on sanitary pads may not aid local makers
Imports of the product will become cheaper
The Union government’s decision to scrap goods and services tax (GST) on sanitary napkins is unlikely to result in a proportionate reduction in costs, according to an expert.
While imports would benefit from zero GST on the product, domestic manufacturers would suffer a huge disadvantage vis-à-vis imports as it would result in the complete denial of input tax credit, leading to an increase in the procurement cost.
Mr. R Muralidharan, senior director, Deloitte India believes that the reduction of GST from 12% to 5% would have actually helped the industry.
“Ideally, reduction of GST to 5% tax could have helped the companies to recover the part of the input tax credit. “But by making it zero, imported items would become cheaper as the input tax credit will be added to the cost of the domestic manufacturers.
“A nominal tax is always better when the input tax credit is higher,” he told The Hindu.
The GST Council, at its meeting held on July 21, recommended various changes in GST rates on goods and services as well as in the policy. One such key decision was scrapping GST on sanitary napkins.
Source: Read Full Article


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by Ronald Njoroge
NAIROBI, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The third edition of China Trade Week Kenya opened its doors on Thursday with the hope of boosting Sino-Kenya trade.
Organizers MIE Events Managing Director David Wang told journalists in Nairobi that China is already Kenya's top trading partner.
"The China Trade Expo will further boost Sino-Kenya trade by providing an opportunity for Kenyan businesses to interact with their Chinese counterparts without travelling out of Kenya," Wang said.
"The aim for the event is for Kenyan and East Africa traders to find suppliers of quality Chinese products," he said. Over 400 Chinese exhibitors will be at the three day event.
Chinese manufacturers from diverse sectors as manufacturing, construction materials, ceramics, automotive parts and consumer products will showcase their products.
He noted that Kenya's business community typically has to travel to China in order to interact with Chinese manufacturers.
"But with the expo, even the small traders who can't afford to travel to China can now link with the best Chinese manufacturers in the world," he added.
Wang noted that Chinese manufacturers are attracted to Kenya due to its favorable business climate coupled with a growing middle class.
Former Kenyan Ambassador to China Julius Sunkuli said that China has emerged as Kenya's top trading partner largely because it is a source of quality and affordable products to Kenyan consumers.
Sunkuli noted that as a result of the cordial Sino-Kenya relationship, Chinese firms have played a visible role in Kenya's development.
In 2016, the event brought together 400 exhibitors and over 16,500 visitors. Similar events will also be held in Ghana, South Africa and Ethiopia.


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For the first time, the majority of hospital treatment policies held by Australians now contain exclusions, the latest ACCC annual report into the private health insurance industry has found.
More than 57 per cent of policies held by Australians contain exclusions, up from about 44 per cent in the previous year.
“Many people may not be aware their policies may have exclusions and don’t realise they would not be covered at all for treatment as a private patient for those conditions,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.
“We’ve been working with private health insurers about how they can better communicate such detrimental policy changes to consumers.”
“Insurers need to make sure these changes are communicated clearly, prominently and in a timely manner, to avoid misleading consumers,” Ms Rickard said.
The report found that, while the rate of increase in average annual premiums has slowed over the past five years, average premiums have increased by more than inflation and wage growth over the year, while consumers continue to drop out of private health insurance.
Other key industry developments and trends
The ACCC’s annual report into the private health insurance industry identified a number of other key industry developments and trends in 2018-19, including:
- In 2018-19, consumers paid over $24.5 billion in private health insurance premiums, an increase of over $661 million or 2.8 per cent from 2017-18.
- The amount of hospital benefits paid to consumers by health insurers was around $15.4 billion and the amount of extras treatment benefits paid was around $5.3 billion.
- The number of hospital policies with an excess or co-payment continued to increase slightly from 84 per cent to 85 per cent.
- 86.8 per cent of in-hospital treatments are delivered without requiring any gap payments from patients, a slight reduction from the 2017-18 figure of 87.8 per cent.
- Complaints to the PHIO have decreased by over 11 per cent since June 2018. Over the same period, contacts to the ACCC relating to private health insurance decreased by 17 per cent, the same percentage decrease as from 2016-17 to 2017-18.
Concerns about the use of consumer data extend to the health sector
The ACCC has also identified an emerging and potential risk of consumer harm from the collection and use of consumer data by health insurers and other businesses in the health sector.
“Several health insurers offer rewards schemes for their members, some of which include the use of tracking apps to record physical activity. Such information may in some cases be combined with other external data sources to profile consumers for targeted marketing,” Ms Rickard said.
“While Australian consumers can benefit from these programs, we are concerned that few consumers may be fully informed or fully understand the scope of data collected when they sign up for, or use, such services.”
The ACCC is undertaking current enforcement action in relation to alleged misleading and deceptive conduct regarding consumer data in the health sector.
Each year, the ACCC is required by the Senate to produce a report on key competition and consumer developments and trends impacting on people’s health cover.
This report covers the 2018-19 period and also identifies potential issues regarding the use of consumer data in the sector similar to those found in the ACCC’s Digital platforms inquiry and Customer loyalty schemes final reports.
This is the ACCC’s 21st report to the Senate under this order.
Notes to editors
Recent government reforms introduced on 1 April 2019 include a requirement that hospital insurance products must be categorised into product tiers, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic, allowing insurers to offer youth-based discounts and to offer lower premium prices for higher excesses, and new mandatory information on what each policy covers.
The Government also launched a website on 30 December 2019 which lists typical out-of-pocket fees for common treatments and procedures in the private system.


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When Las Vegas-based gaming company Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: PNK) more than doubles in size in 2013, thanks to its recent purchasing of Ameristar Casinos Inc. (Nasdaq: ASCA) for roughly $2.8 billion, it will help spotlight some major trends in the U.S. casino industry-a sector that's been among the slowest to rebound after the economic downturn.
The gaming industry has always been dependent on upswings in business cycles and discretionary spending. But cash-strapped consumers have generally shied away from many hotel and casino resorts in recent years, and subsequently, so have private equity firms.
That spurred strategic players such as Pinnacle to begin looking for growth in regions outside of the Las Vegas and Atlantic City, N.J. hotspots.
"I see the Pinnacle deal as an example of what's been at play in the gaming industry," says Adam Moses, a partner in the Los Angeles office of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy. The acquisition of Ameristar's properties, Moses points out, complements Pinnacle's existing portfolio. Adding eight casino-resorts in several notable gaming markets, and across different states, shows how "there aren't that many regional mid-sized operators anymore."
The transaction, announced in December, expands Pinnacle's operations into St. Charles near St. Louis, Mo; Kansas City, Mo; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Black Hawk, Colo.; Vicksburg, Miss.; East Chicago, Ind.; and Jackpot, Nev.
That's a necessary move for Pinnacle, Moses says, should it want to compete with larger rivals, namely Penn National Gaming Inc. (Nasdaq: PENN).
"The gaming industry in the U.S. is not much of a growth industry anymore," he says. "At this point it's mature, so to drive numbers, they have to rely on economies of scale, rather than organic growth."And with more states likely to consider gaming expansion proposals in 2013 and beyond, Moses expects middle-market companies to set up casinos in other markets, including New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida.
The industry is still a far cry from its 2006 heyday, says Michael Paladino, senior director of gaming, lodging and leisure at Fitch Ratings. Recall the $17.1 billion sale of Harrah's Entertainment to private equity firms Apollo Management Group (NYSE: APO) and Texas Pacific Group. Deals that size, in any sector, have been rare. Significant improvements in U.S. gaming revenues are less likely to occur in 2013, he adds, citing data from a Dec. 17 Fitch Ratings report. However, casino balance sheets are expected to remain highly leveraged, as casino operators continue to take advantage of low interest rates to facilitate debt-funded M&A activity, Paladino explains.
Coming off a period where there was "very little activity going on," Moses explains, there's now more confidence among the strategic buyers.
"They weren't doing these deals three years ago," Moses says, citing Pinnacle's acquistion. "But now they're willing to roll the dice again."


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- On 21 November, China’s MoH has lodged to the WTO a notification of new national standard for the labeling of pre-packaged foods for special dietary uses. The special dietary
- Hong Kong, China has issued “Hong Kong Code of Marketing and Quality of Formula Milk and Related Products, and Food Products for Infants and Young Children" ("the HK
- China’s Ministry of Health was sued by a consumer after its rejection to information disclosure request, in which MOH is asked to release to the public the minutes of meeting about the
- SAC is now conducting investigation on the implementation of the “Requirements of Restricting Excessive Package – Foods and Cosmetics (GB 23350-2009)”, which was jointly released by General
- A new nutritional additive has been approved to use by the Department of Health, Executive Yuan of Taiwan. Thus, the corresponding amendments has been made on
- 5 new food additives have been approved for use by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in accordance with the Food Safety Law (Order of the President No.9) and
- The State is making every effort to hasten the promulgation of the Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Health Food, which will supplement the Food Safety Law
- MOH issued a ban on the use of bovine colostrum and dairy products made of it in infant formula, which will come into effect since 1 September 2012.


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Term Deposits are the foundation of Australian Savings
Term Deposits have now been the largest category of savings held by Australians for the past four years, according to a report by Roy Morgan Consumer Finance Single Source.
One third or 31.2 percent of all savings dollars by Australians aged 14 and up are now held in term deposits and since January 2009 the total of funds held in term deposits has grown by 44 percent.
However, there is a notable difference in savings behaviours when comparing key generations and it seems that it is the older generations, with more savings to put aside, who most favoured term deposits. Since January 2012, 38.7 percent of all term deposits were held by baby boomers and 41.6 percent by the Pre-Boomers.
"For Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z, transaction accounts take top place. A link with their debit card for those accounts and the ability to access their money at any time may be some of the key triggers, combined with the fact that these younger generations have less money to put aside for the longer term," according to Norman Morris, Roy Morgan Industry Communications Director.
Infact, transaction accounts were recorded as 17.5 percent of all savings, making it the second largest savings category held by Australians. Following in third place was high interest online savings accounts with 15.6 percent.
The news is particularly astounding as those with their savings in a transaction account are doing their money very little favours. Many online savings accounts, with far better interest rates, are linked to a transaction account. Transferring funds can often be instant and done online or by mobile, making 'ease of access' a poor excuse to limit savings.
A term deposit comparison could find interest rates between 4.51 percent for 6 months and 5.13 percent for 5 year investments, showing why term deposits are Australia's most popular savings category. And if your not looking to lock your cash away, you can still find high interest savings accounts between from 3.5 percent and up to 5 percent.
Have a questions about term deposits? Ask the gurus at Mozo Answers.


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GoPro's stock took a beating in early morning trading and is now down almost 25 percent on the day.
GoPro (gpro) had a rough Monday with its stock tumbling as much as 33% to $5.04 after the company confirmed that it would lay off 20% of its workforce, or about 250 people.
However, it appears clear the efforts to stop companies like DJI muscling in on its turf, have failed.
"Of course we need to run the business as though we're going to be independent, and we're planning accordingly".More news: Fire at Trump Tower in New York, US President safe in Washington
More news: At Least Two People Injured in Explosion in Stockholm, Sweden
More news: Nintendo Switch Sales Top Wii U In Japan
GoPro is exploring a sale after a tumultuous couple of years that included multiple rounds of layoffs, shrinking sales, and a plummeting stock price. The GoPro Karma had managed to grab the number two spot in United States drone sales, the company pointed out, but warned that a "hostile regulatory environment" for the flying gadgets meant the segment was only going to get tougher to compete in. GoPro expects revenue to come in at just $340 million, a 37% year-over-year decline. GoPro put the Karma back on sale in February 2017.
A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It also doesn't have the cash to make an acquisition and probably won't anytime soon.
GoPro will no longer market drones after it sells off remaining inventory, but will continue to provide services and support to Karma customers, it said. It's still early, but you can bet we'll start seeing analysts weigh in on companies that might buy GoPro by issuing their own lists of suggestions.
Data from financial analytics firm S3 Partners indicates that GoPro is the fourth-biggest short in the consumer electronics sector, according to managing director Ihor Dusaniwsky.
GoPro is looking to sell the company and CNBC is reporting that it hired JP Morgan to find a buyer.


text:
The Dinosaur Gold-Standard Economy
"The dinosaurs had a monetary system based on gold, which explains why the historical record shows absolutely no inflation in prices during the entire Jurassic period, and anyone who says otherwise is a lying bag of crap."
Peter Schiff of Euro Pacific Capital is justifiably upset that CNBC, on which he has appeared many, many times over the years, professes to be surprised at current events, even though they are the same things he has consistently predicted on their show! I know! I've seen him!
Mr. Schiff writes, "The current line at CNBC is that, prior to the 'unexpected' contagion emanating from the subprime mess, the U.S. economy was experiencing a 'Goldilocks' era of optimal health." To prove his case, he offers a link to a video of a "CNBC match up from August 2006 between me and Arthur Laffer, a CNBC favorite", which he says is "priceless" because it contains "Some of Laffer's best one-liners" which include, "the U.S. economy has never been in better shape" and "monetary policy is spectacular." Hahaha! He's right! Priceless!
I was envious at how everyone laughed when he looked directly into the camera and, milking every drop of deadpan comedy out of it, dryly said, "I kid you not". So I leap to my feet to try and claim a little jealous attention, too, and exclaim, "Apparently, the theory of non-linear mathematics, popularly known as the Butterfly Effect, nor news of the statistical proof of the certainty of sudden, calamitous discontinuities, popularly known as Black Swan events, has penetrated CNBC, both of which make a cruel mockery of the very idea that anyone could have continuous, uninterrupted, healthy economic growth by using gigantic expansions of the money supply via a fiat currency in an unlimited fractional-reserve banking system to supply evermore cash to a wildly expansionist government!"
A slight titter of nervous laughter barely rippled through the room, which was very gratifying to me, but it seems to have rattled Mr. Schiff, who nonetheless still managed to upstage me in the laughter department by cleverly saying that CNBC still believes that "if the Fed and the Government can divine the right combination of fiscal and monetary policy, Goldilocks will once again be blissfully picking daisies...or more precisely, buying SUV's." Hahaha! Goldilocks in an SUV! An interesting metaphor!
But the point is not that Mr. Schiff is funnier than me without even trying, but that we are freaking doomed, and CNBC would have known that if they had tuned into the Daily Mogambo Business Network (DMBN), where they would have learned during the course of any of numerous Raging Mogambo Editorial Rants (RMER) that the Butterfly Effect proves that all money will influence, after just a few iterations of the financial system, all other money, which means that to laughably think that the subprime problem could be "contained" is absolutely ludicrous; the truth is that it will literally affect every other piece of money around the world, and to an unknown degree!
And, if they had taken the time to tune into the DMBN show, maybe snuggled down with a bowl of hot popcorn and a cold beverage, or a soggy pizza and a bottle of cheap tequila, they would also have learned the on-air report of the recently-discovered fascinating fact that the dinosaurs had a monetary system based on gold, which explains why the historical record shows absolutely no inflation in prices during the entire Jurassic period, and anyone who says otherwise is a lying bag of crap.
The other news is that the dinosaur economy nevertheless had the Mother Of All Black Swan Events when a giant meteor smashed into the Yucatan Peninsula, destroying most of the life forms on the planet, and all of that fabled dinosaur monetary conservatism was for naught.
But it is one thing for CNBC to not report the crucial discovery of the dinosaur gold-standard economy and its stability, but it is quite another for CNBC to actually believe that the Fed and the federal government can "divine the right combination of fiscal and monetary policy" to put everything aright!
This is obviously where I would normally insert a Scathing Mogambo Laugh Of Contempt (SMLOC) at such preposterousness, but actually, upon reflection, CNBC is right! With wildly inflationary monetary policy and bizarre, giveaway fiscal and regulatory policies, they actually CAN get things perking again! Nothing could be easier!
I mean, how much is a house worth if a homebuyer could get back, in cash via a tax credit, all of their interest payments on the loan? Or a tax credit for all of the interest payments PLUS 10% of the principal?
How about if the government sent every taxpayer $1,000 per month for the next year? How about $10,000 per month? How's THAT for an economic stimulus? Hahahaha!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again; Ben Bernanke, now chairman of the Federal Reserve (which is neither federal nor a reserve of anything, but is a private bank that suspiciously signs its email with a "dotgov" suffix) was absolutely, positively, 100 percent correct when he said that with a printing press that can create money at almost zero cost, a determined government could always create inflation, a horror which he is now obligated to inflict on us since he has long, and now famously, shot his mouth off about how he is so smart and how he is such an expert on the Great Depression, and how he knows exactly what those idiots back in the '20s and '30s should have done, which is to keep pounding, pounding, pounding money into the economy with lower and lower interest rates and buying up a constant, huge stream of new government debt, and buying up all kinds of things, irrespective of the resultant ruinous inflation in prices at such horrifying monetary excesses.
It's too bad that Mr. Bernanke is too busy to look at Zimbabwe to see how that has worked out in actual practice, as Bill Bonner says, "What happens to a paper currency when its custodians decide to destroy it? We have the answer to that question illustrated for us in the headlines from Zimbabwe. Last we heard, inflation was running at 100,000% per year. The average employee made millions per day...but could barely buy a can of beans with the money. Worse still, the beans - and everything else - had disappeared from the shops...hyperinflation has destroyed the economy."
Is there a lesson in all this total destruction by inflation? Yes! The lesson is, according to the Mogambo Big Book Of Economics (MBBOE), "Don't start inflating the money supply, moron, because you will get inflation in consumer prices, which will cause economic misery, and finally food riots and societal disintegration will break out, and so that is why I called you a moron at the beginning of the sentence, because only a moron would attempt such a thing when the entire history of economic mankind shows that inflating the money supply has ruined everyone who has ever, ever tried it!"
I look at Mr. Bonner and he reluctantly agrees, "Yes, that's what happens. First the money. Then, the economy. Finally, the society itself."
And then raving gold-bug lunatics like me and the Austrian Business Cycle Theory prove to be right after all, and we take over the joint because we bought gold, and now we are rich, rich, rich!
And when a creepy little jerk like The Mogambo gets that kind of money and power, then you know that Mr. Bonner was right; decent people in a civil society, and society itself, don't have a chance against such outrageous and shameless hedonistic gluttony. Ahhh! Gold!


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There are cars that are absolute drop-dead gorgeous. That augurs well for not being not only eye-pleasing material but also something that offers more than a cursory indication to take to the four-wheels. Then there are cars that despite boasting of slightly effeminate characteristics, inspire even men to take them up and go for a quick spin. Speed, doesn’t always serve as a unique selling criterion for every car.
Not particularly when one talks about the Volkswagen Beetle. An absolute legend of a car that has, for decades, served both spectrums of the gender with absolute sincerity around the world- it could be said, there’s always a good time to drive a Beetle.
Not many heads turn in rapt amazement when one throws around a commonly-heard phrase: The Volkswagen Beetle is perhaps the most iconic car ever made. Not the most sassiest design, despite not having anywhere close to a beefy car built, the Beetle, for decades together, has emerged as an all-season car. Few can doubt that.
But now, news coming in from the house of Volkswagen states that the new version of the legendary Beetle could go electric and be, once again, an all-wheel drive.
In the more recent past, the disturbing blotch left by Volkswagen’s emission scandal had left the otherwise venerable car brands’ critics with scope for trenchant criticism. It was increasingly being felt that the German brand had to move on; give a sterling new edge to things that had been sidelined by controversy.
So along came the idea that the newer, modern version of the classic Volkswagen produce would have it engine situated toward the rear: where it had earlier been. Not just that. In an era that is a harbinger for all things electric, the discussion everywhere whether in German car factories or in corporate boardrooms elsewhere in Europe is that the new move by Volkswagen could Beetle where it’s previously been: to it’s roots.
Currently it isn’t known as to when exactly would one get to see the latest model of Beetle back on the road. But what is known, in fact, is that VW Chairman, Herbert Diess has confirmed that it would probably make more marketing and business sense to have the new Beetle as an electric car.
Therefore, it only makes sense that the rear-mounted electric motor and rear-wheel drive layout of the ID hatchback mirrors the design fit of the classic, traditional 1939 model. What also gives more boost to Volkswagen’s electric ambition is that only recently the Wolfsburg-based brand has rolled out electric concepts such as ID Buzz retro mini-bus. That said, given that electric cars give access to explore dynamic concepts like design options and innovative packaging- there’s always something new lurking in the future to tap into.


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They say Americans love to shop, although you wouldn't necessarily know it looking at the broad spate of retailer earnings released this season. "This week alone, we got a slew of reports, some of which were pretty darned ugly," said Jim Cramer.
related investing news
However, not every release was a sad affair; Cramer said there were also some impressive reports, too.
And looking at the reports broadly, Cramer noticed a somewhat common theme. That is, retailers that posted strong results all found meaningful ways to connect with their customers. Cramer thinks their efforts were intended to safeguard their businesses against incursions made by Amazon and the growing proliferation of e-commerce.
Here are the companies that impressed Cramer:
For the quarter ended May 4, Williams-Sonoma reported a profit of $46.2 million, or 48 cents a share, up from $39.5 million, or 40 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue increased 9.7 percent to $974.3 million.
"Here's a company that has thought through all of the advantages of bricks and mortar and has exploited them in a 360-degree explosion of sales," Cramer said. "Customers read the catalogs and that sends them into the stores or online." Cramer also noted that the company, aided by its "superb" website, does a good job keeping up with its customers' tastes and styles.
As a result, Cramer thinks Williams-Sonoma has carved a niche that resonates with its constituents. "I think Williams-Sonoma embodies the definition of proprietary in a way that Amazon will never be able to touch."
on revenue of $2.93 billion for the period, exceeding the 68 cents and $2.86 billion that analysts polled by FactSet were anticipating.
Although Nordstrom benefited from improved sales, its profitability was somewhat hampered by increased investments in technology, however it stood by its full-year forecast.
Cramer isn't spooked by the so-called technology spend; in fact he views it as a bullish sign.
"When I last spoke with Blake Nordstrom, president of the chain, back in April, he told me that his company has had to invest billions of dollars online because he felt the legendary Nordstrom customer service had at last been trumped by another retailer, Amazon."
That investment in technology tells Cramer that Nordstrom intends to thrive for a long time to come.
"The company has built a fabulous Web presence and has also become a growth retailer again by rolling out Nordstrom Rack stores, one of the fastest growing retail divisions in the country," he said.
Although Home Depot missed forecasts, the company maintained its sales growth forecast of 4.8 percent for the year ending January and raised its full-year earnings forecast to $4.42 per share from $4.38 per share
But perhaps what resonated with Cramer most is that "Home Depot said on its conference call that May demand was very robust."
He thinks, at least part of the strength, is due to the company's aggressive attempts to relate to the community.
"If you go online to its amazing website you will know exactly what I am talking about. The site, built in conjunction with Salesforce.com, allows you to connect with the sales people and with other customers to learn more about products. I am calling it crowd-sourced hardware."
Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer
Investors take cue from wrong stocks
Cramer: Don't walk away from Yahoo!
Niche stock you shouldn't overlook
Of course, many retailers stumbled this earnings season. Again, Cramer thinks the weakness was due, in part, to their inability to adjust to "this new world where almost every company is vulnerable to Amazon."
"Target doesn't have anything but it knows it, and I think the next CEO will address it, pronto," Cramer said. "Meanwhile, PetSmart and Dick's seem to have lost their way big-time and the former has the worst website of any major retailer I follow."
In a world where Amazon could steal business from almost every store imaginable, the trend warrants watching.
Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC
Questions for Cramer? email@example.com
Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? firstname.lastname@example.org


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The Japanese company Rakuten has announced today the acquisition of Viber Media, a popular messaging service platform, for $900 million. The acquisition will help fortify Rakuten’s footprint in the digital content space with its other acquisitions, such as Kobo, Wuaki.tv and Viki. The acquisition of Viber though will help keep Rakuten’s focus on rapid growth of its global membership and Internet services ecosystem.
Rakuten is one of the largest Internet companies in the world based out of Japan. They are known as an electronic commerce company and is the largest electronic commerce site located in Japan, which is one of the top amongst the world in sales with revenues totaled at $4.7 billion and operating profits of about $770 million. Since 2005, Rakuten has been acquiring and moving up through joint ventures with other companies to help build its online presence and fortify its name across the Internet. With over 40 different services offered, such as electronic commerce, eBooks, travel, banking, securities, credit cards, electronic money, logistics, portal and media, online marketing and professional sports, Rakuten has built one of the world’s most robust and dynamic Internet services ecosystems centered around a unified ID membership database that features the enormously popular and successful online Rakuten Super Points rewards program. Rakuten currently holds investments in Pinterest, Ozon.ru, AHA Life and Daily Grommet. (Rakuten helped Pinterest get valued in May 2012 to $1.5 billion with $100 million investment alongside Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners and FirstMark Capital.)
Rakuten began its hold in digital content in 2012 with the acquisition of Kobo Inc, which is one of the world’s fastest growing eBook services, that offers books, magazines and newspapers to its customers in 190 different countries. After that purchase, Rakuten moved into acquire an innovative European video streaming service that they have expanded farther than its current reach entering new markets outside of its original base located in Spain. In 2013, Rakuten purchased Viki, a digital content platform that now reaches 65 percent of its 30 million users through mobile devices.
Viber is a proprietary cross-platform instant messaging and VoIP that allows for everyone to be able to connect to each other freely over the use of the Internet. In addition to text messaging, users can exchange images, video and audio media messages as well. The service was initially launched for the iPhone on December 2, 2010, in direct competition with Skype. The service then expanded to Android in May 2011 with restricted access that was changed to full access on July 19, 2012. On May 8, 2012 Viber released the application for both Windows Phone and Blackberry. Once they reached 90 million users the released the HD Voice engine and apps for Nokia’s Series 40, Symbian and Samsung’s Bada platform. Even though the application was entirely set to be on a mobile platform, the company, Viber Media, decided to release the app for Windows, Windows 8 and Mac OS X, though you need to have the app on your smartphone or other suitable mobile device. Finally in December 2013, Viber officially announced Viber Out, a feature that allows all users to have the option to call mobile and landline numbers (to use the new feature, users have to visit the More tab and choose Viber out). With over 200 million users in over 193 countries, a 120 percent growth since 2013 and a ton of room to innovate, Viber has shown that it has been creating a strong hold in the online communication sector of the Internet. Viber hopes to grow to be the number one communication platform out there.
Viber is expected to grow substantially with Rakuten’s acquisition as the company has over 225 million global members. Viber is a perfect member to join Rakuten’s already robust digital content offerings as Rakuten builds its foundation to be the world’s most comprehensive and engaging daily online platform. With Viber’s fun approach to messaging and high quality VoIP services, it fits in total alignment with the focus on rapid growth of its global membership and Internet services ecosystem.
Rakuten Chairman and CEO, Hiroshi Mikitani, commented earlier in the press release today:
“I am tremendously excited to welcome Viber to the Rakuten family. Viber delivers the most consistently high quality and convenient messaging and VoIP experience available. Additionally, Viber has introduced a great sticker market and has tremendous potential as a gaming platform. Simply put, Viber understands how people actually want to engage and have built the only service that truly delivers on all fronts. This makes Viber the ideal total consumer engagement platform for Rakuten as we seek to bring our deep understanding of the consumer to vast new audiences through our dynamic ecosystem of Internet Services.”
Viber CEO and Founder, Talmon Marco can be quoted to say from the press release earlier today:
“Rakuten is one of the world’s most important Internet companies. It is truly dominant in its home market of Japan and has been rapidly expanding globally. This combination presents an amazing opportunity for Viber to enhance our rapid user growth in both existing and new markets. Sharing similar aspirations with Rakuten, our vision is to be the world’s No.1 communications platform and our combination with Rakuten is an important step in that direction.”
What does this mean for you, the user?
As of right now nothing is set to change for the company or the application itself. Viber will continue to work as well as before. Viber will continue to operate under the same team that has been running the service for over the last year. You will still be able to use Viber over the multitude of operating systems that you already use it on.
There has been no announcement made for any of services to change and as Viber has been a free service as of right now it is still set to be a free service. You can still download the app for free on any of the operating systems that you enjoy using the most.
Viber is still available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Windows, Windows 8, Mac, Linux, Symbian, Nokia S40 and Bada.


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The Indian state Kerala is actively studying blockchain technology usage to improve a wide range of existing systems, financial as well. In the state thousands of people are already studying blockchain with an aim to become blockchain specialists, some of them have already finished their training – bitcoin doubler 2x has got to know.
Kerala state is going to become blockchain center of India, the authority plans to involve this technology to many spheres. Shri. M. Sivasankar, the state’s electronics and information technology secretary, told the Economic Times:
“We expect for smart usage of blockchain in specific domains in the nearest 5 years so that its app can be sustained. Companies that produce solutions based on the technology can sell it as products or services.”
The state is planning to use blockchain technology to improve efficiency of today`s financial system, they also want to compose a talent team of blockchain specialists. Kerala`s government is also attempting to implement the technology into several pilot programs, such as land records, workforce management, organic food traceability, and immunization.
In addition, Kerala has a blockchain institute called Kerala Blockchain Academy (KBA), an initiative of the state government under the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management. Established in 2017. KBA offers certification programs, research and development activities, and consultancy. It is a member and official training partner of Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Project and a general partner of the R3 Consortium.
Several Indian ministries and local authorities have independently explored the use of blockchain technology. In November 2019, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Shri Sanjay Dhotre told in detail about the government`s steps to promote blockchain technology to Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s parliament. He said that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had identified blockchain technology as an important research sphere with the potential of usage in various areas, such as governance, banking and finance, and cybersecurity. Also, National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has recently announced its permissioned blockchain-based platform called Vajra, which is aim to make fast and safe payments


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Many seeking an alternative to Twitter have moved to Mastodon, an interconnected platform of decentralized, self-hosted microblogging sites. What will be the knock-on effect for advertisers?
More Features articles
Omnicom’s Phil Rowley speaks to Omar Oakes about the science of predicting, whether predictions are getting harder and whether brands are becoming more conservative when it comes to innovation in media and marketing.
BARB CEO Justin Sampson discusses what’s next for the UK TV measurement company as independent audience data for Netflix and Disney+ becomes available for the first time.
The Media Leader interview: how can the future for radio remain bright when faced with ‘gatekeepers’ like Google and Amazon?
ITV CEO Carolyn McCall discussed the launch of ITVX and what’s next for ad-funded TV as Netflix and Disney+ enter the fray.
Parnter content: This month’s Audience Insight from Bloomberg Media is a special edition: Global Travellers.


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The campaign is conceptualised and created for its BLDC fans to create mass awareness about the energy saving aspect.
Syska Group, the leading FMEG (Fast Moving Electrical Goods) brand in India, has unveiled its latest campaign featuring the brand ambassador Rajkummar Rao to introduce its new brushless direct current (BLDC) fans range. The campaign showcasing Rajkummar Rao emphasizes the efficiency and powerful output delivery of the fans that saves up to 60% power.
Conceptualized around the theme #SaveKiyaKya, the campaign aims to connect with Indian audiences by showcasing the latest range of technologically designed BLDC fans. These fans will enable consumers to decrease their carbon footprint, and at the same time will help save money on electricity bills. It’s a multi-film campaign that features a narrative between Rajkummar Rao in a double role depicting a relatable, real-life, commonplace scenario of Indian homes incorporating humour and snappiness.
Commenting on the campaign, Rajesh Uttamchandani, director, Syska Group said, “Our newly launched range of BLDC fans are for consumers who yearn for products that save money and power without compromising on aesthetics, each of which is intrinsic to their lifestyle. With our latest range, we hope to go beyond the fundamental requirements of fans as an appliance by improving functionality and design so that our fans can effortlessly integrate into the daily lives of our consumers. With the campaign created with Rajkummar Rao, we hope to encourage brand recall and communicate Syska’s meaningful innovations.”
Commenting on the campaign, Rahul Gupta, CEO & creative director, IBD India said "IBD found synergy in the core values that Raj appeals to and felt he is the right ambassador for a brand that is futuristic, in being a link in the health of the planet and yet being accessible to everyone. He is talented, versatile and widely-loved for his work. This segue of the brand, the artist, and the agency is creativity... by design."
The campaign has gone live on leading TV channels across Hindi and regional languages in the country. The communication will be amplified through digital touch points and social media to add to the buzz amongst the customers. Remaining ads of the campaign will be unveiled in the subsequent phases to build the brand hype accordingly. In 2020, Syska signed Rajkummar Rao as the brand ambassador for LED & Fans. The brand aims to achieve INR 250 crore revenue in the fans segment this year and looks at being among top five brands in the fans segment in the next two years.


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Matt Gomez had two key motivations that drove him to start Soil Mate — a website that connects consumers with local farms and markets in their neighbourhoods — two years ago.
The first, and perhaps more expected, was family. Gomez, who worked previously for a digital marketing agency, said he had always been interested in food security and environmental issues, but when he had his first child in 2014, his interest became concern.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“I’m a big, strong guy, and I’ve eaten crappy English food my whole life, so there wasn’t a massive impetus to change my habit,” said Gomez, who grew up in Great Britain but now resides in Kelowna. “When I had kids, knowing what I knew, I couldn’t feed them stuff that I knew wasn’t good for them.”
Gomez said that the increased industrialization of farming, and the fact that the average age of farmers in North America is now around 60, raises concerns about a food system dominated by factory farms and imported goods, something that is both worrying for the environment and for consumer health.


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Left (Q)4 Dead: BlackBerry Posts $4.4B USD Loss, Only Ships 1.9m Phones
December 25, 2013 11:35 PM
Company is sitting on a year's worth of unsold inventory, is losing four times its revenue
Veteran phonemaker BlackBerry, Ltd.'s (
) fell to a horrific earnings report as it was slammed with losses on unsold devices that compounded already financially painful layoff costs. There were clear signs in the earnings report that BlackBerry is preparing to exit the high-end devices market -- and likely the American market -- within the next couple quarters.
I. We're Going Down Swinging
narrowly missed being purchased
earlier this year; one of its top investors nearly pulled it private but
decided it was too risky
In Q3 (fiscal Q2 2014) the Waterloo, Ontario company "recognized revenue" (aka, sold) only a tiny number of devices compared to its rivals.
During the quarter Samsung Electronics
Comp., Ltd. (
, Inc. (
), respectively the number one and number two device makers, alone shipped roughly 120 million smartphones. By contrast BlackBerry -- formerly known as "Research in Motion" -- shipped only 1.9, with shipments in Q3 half of what they were in Q4. In other words, BB was outshipped 100-to-1 by Samsung and Apple alone.
new chief executive, John S. Chen
taken a far tougher approach with the company's staff
, acknowledging the grimness of the financial reality his firm faces. While that tough love is certainly an improvement over
his predecessor Thorsten Heins
ever the optimist
-- he's been dealt a hand that's simply hard to win. If you thought
Q2 was bad
, Q3 proved far worse.
John S. Chen inherited this mess, becoming CEO at the end of Q2.[Image Source: SAP/Sybase]
One reason why BB has hung on as long as it has, despite plunging sales, is that it's been relatively proactive in tapering production. BB's strategy, while clever, has created a lot of confusion.
Since its struggles began around in mid-2010, BB has released two sets of figures -- shipments and sales. The keyword to decoding BB's earnings report is that "recognized revenue on" is being used to imply "shipped", whereas sold, indicates a mix of new and old devices:
...as you can see BB still has about 17.3 million handsets in its channel, sitting around unsold. This is
similar to what we saw during the fall of Palm Inc.
Things are looking pretty dire on the handset front, even with BB doing its best to taper.
Note that BB is sitting on 17+ million unsold handsets, still. Also note that it's basically halted production of BlackBerry 10 platform.
Combined with the revenue/earnings numbers and you arrive at a pretty devastating picture, even by BB's standards. During the quarter, BB made $1.2B USD in revenue. The company's pre-tax losses were $4.6B USD. No you did not misread that; BB literally lost close to four times what it sold its devices and services for in the quarter. Even with exclusions for GAAP, the loss still stood at an epic $4.4B USD.
But that's unlikely to be the worst of it for BB. BB has $3.2B USD in cash. In other words it can only survive one more quarter like the last one, unless it finds new sources of debt. Given its poor performance, it's doubtful many investors will be eager to lend it much money -- particularly when it is sitting on a massive unsold inventory of 17 million handsets; basically a full year's worth of stock at current sales levels.
II. BES & BBM -- Bright Spots or Noise?
The good news is that most of the loss is thought to be due to the latest round of layoffs. BB is laying off an additional
40 percent of its workforce, or roughly 4,500 employees
, cuts which follow
last year's cuts
of over 5,000 jobs. Last year these layoffs drove BB to a loss of $235M USD on revenue of $2.9B USD. So it's likely that roughly half of BB's losses came from the layoffs, with inventory write-downs accounting for another half.
Some other parts of the report sound hopeful. For example, in the first seven months (Feb.-Sept. -- or Mar.-Sept. in some regions) on the market, BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 (BES 10) was sold to only 25,000 servers. In Q3, BB tacked on 5,000 new BES 10 servers, to bring its total BES 7 and BES 10 client base to 80,000 servers in the wild.
BES 10 has seen tepid adoption.
However, that's the glass-half-full outlook. Consider that the subscription numbers are about half what they were at BB's (then RIM) peak in 2009 (150,000 servers) [
; PDF]. Further, nearly two thirds of BB's servers still haven't upgraded to BES 10 -- and it's questionable if they will.
The biggest selling point of BES was always BlackBerry smartphones. BB has tried to become more viable as sales have faded, offering BES support for Google Inc.'s (
) Android and Apple's iOS via
products like Fusion
. It also
tried to cut its fees to win back clients
. These cuts, while inevitable, certainly haven't helped BB financially.
And despite the cuts, BES 10 ultimately remains relatively expensive for what it offers; a good value if you use BB10 devices, perhaps. And basically no one uses BB10 devices, so BES 10 is headed the way of the dinosaur, like its smartphone companions.
goes for BBM (BlackBerry Messenger)
. BBM's strongest selling point -- like BES was primarily BlackBerries. Granted it was one of the first secure PIN based messaging services. Today, it's just one of many alternatives on platforms like Android,
competing with solutions like SpotRED and Spotbros
BBM is seeing modest pickup on Android. [Image Source: TechCrunch]
In two months BB says it racked up 40 million iOS/Android BBM customers. But the only major OEM it scored a bundling deal with was
LG Electronics, Inc. (
) (the third place smartphone maker in the U.S. behind Apple and Samsung). BBM is perhaps BB's most promising product in the long-term, aside from budget handsets. But it won't be a huge moneymaker, given the abundant competition.
III. BlackBerry/RIM is Effectively Dead to the U.S. Market
Looking ahead, BB has
already announced it will be partnering with Taiwanese ODM
Precision Industry Comp. Ltd.'s (
) subsidiary Foxconn --
a top Chinese manufacturer
It looks like these handsets will almost all be a new breed of next generation budget handsets. The focus
will be on Indonesia
-- as the first model's codename "Jakarta" indicates -- as well as "other fast-growing markets" according to CEO John Chen. Production will also be sourced to Mexico, another targeted emerging market.
Jakarta will likely be
a slightly cut down version of the Q5
-- which is already selling well in Indonesia and other emerging markets.
Q5: the first budget BB10 device
The devices will likely not be viable in the U.S. or EU -- and perhaps even BB's own home nation of Canada. Despite the abysmal financial Mr. Chen says his firm has a "commitment to the device market for the long-term" -- but he offers no promise of a commitment to the high-end U.S./EU devices market.
BlackBerry Z30: Dead
BlackBerry Q10: Dead
Further evidence of BB10's high end flight is found in the earnings report, in which BB writes:
During the third quarter, the Company [shipped] approximately 1.9 million BlackBerry smartphones compared to approximately 3.7 million BlackBerry smartphones in the previous quarter.
Most of the units [shipped] were BlackBerry 7 devices.
BB has almost completely ended production of its high end BB10 fleet. The Z10, in particular -- while arguably BB's strongest attempt to compete with Android, Windows Phone, and iOS -- also proved the company's worst failure. BB
singled it out in Q2
(fiscal Q3 2014) for poor financials.
Blackberry Z10: Dead
In that regard the
(BB's four BB10 handsets to date) may be the last of their kind. BB will likely focus on slightly lower-end devices more akin to its current BB7 models. Jakarta will be 3G-only (no LTE; further proof that the device has no place in developed markets) and will launch in March or April 2014, according to Mr. Chen's
earnings call comments
Thus as Commander Spock would say, "It's life, Captain, but not life as we know it."
Named after Jakarta, Indonesia [pictured], BB's new BB10 device will lack LTE and likely marking an end to U.S. sales. [Image Source: Real Jakarta]
The BlackBerry U.S. consumers knew -- a premium devicemaker -- is effectively dead. It will taper down for a couple quarters, but even if it hangs on, its own imprint on developed markets is expected to be a handful of apps and services.
The question, though, is whether BB can survive that restructuring. Q1 2013 (fiscal Q4 2014) for BlackBerry will certainly see a smaller loss given layoffs being wrapped up. But with nearly 17+ million handsets left unsold BB must tread carefully to avoid a lethal write-down, given its relatively small cash pile and weak position.
"Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally. I dare anybody to do that once a month on the Windows machine." -- Bill Gates
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text:
https://www.jasper52.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/bullion-featured.jpg 400 1080 Jasper52 https://www.jasper52.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/j52_logo.png Jasper522018-09-14 15:54:202018-09-14 15:54:20Gold coins, bullion await bidders in online auction Sept. 19
Gold coins, bullion await bidders in online auction Sept. 19
Gold fever is defined as the obsession with seeking gold ore. But why go to the effort and expense of mining this precious metal when copious amounts are readily available in a refined form in a Jasper52 auction Wednesday, Sept 19? The online auction offers nearly 100 lots of gold coins and bullion.
Learn more about the auction on Auction Central News.


text:
The Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) has been doubling its efforts to help thousands more people from the pub trade in the last year.
A report into high streets has been welcomed by trade association UKHospitality as it outlines the crucial impact of pubs on the health of our town centres.
We've joined forces with the Society of independent Brewers (SIBA) again to crown the best in Britain.
Brooklyn Brewery is bringing a new "fun and unpretentious" brew to the UK market.
The new beers are the brewery's biggest launch in six years, as it looks to "evolve to meet the demands of younger drinkers," managing director, Rupert Thompson said.
Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) has moved its Honest brand into lemonade to cater for grown-ups wanting soft drinks.
The first winner of the Nutella Chef Challenge is a culinary student from the University of Derby.
People love a pie – and they really love a pie in a pub – so are you ready to promote your offer this March for British Pie Week?
The annual event, held at Young's pub The Canonbury in Islington, sees chefs from pubs and restaurants across the UK compete for the coveted title.
Pubs across the country will be joining forces next month for the fourth annual 'World's Biggest Pub Quiz.'
Was the party at your pub so good this weekend that you could be crowned Britain's Best Rugby Pub?
Manchester, Merseyside and North London derbies are among the TV highlights to look forward to in March.
My time reporting on the pub trade has come to an end, but I will always love this incredible sector, and the publicans who keep it going.
The rate of pub closures is slowing, according to new figures released by CAMRA.


text:
updated 06:30 pm EST, Wed February 22, 2012
Ericsson cobranding starts to be phased out
Last week, Sony took complete control of its former joint venture with Ericsson. Sony has already begun to phase out the Ericsson name from its mobile products branding. Its first step has been to redirect online viewers from the Sony Ericsson site to the company's SonyMobile web portal.
Sony acquired the 50 percent share of the joint venture it didn't own from Ericsson in October. The €1.05 billion ($1.47 billion) deal also gave Sony access to a broad intellectual property cross-licensing agreement and ownership of five "essential" patent families.
Sony plans to gradually migrate to the single-name branding over the next month. More changes are likely to appear at next week's Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona. [via Engadget]


text:
Taking place from 22 to 24 October 2024 at Hamburg Messe, LEaT con has established itself since 2022 as a community hub for professionals from the event and entertainment industry.
With a list of over 150 exhibitors and more than 180 brands presenting the latest technologies, services, and solutions, the event offers a platform for exchanging ideas, promoting innovation, and building new contacts in the entertainment industry.
"We are overwhelmed by the positive response and the trust the industry places in LEaT con," says Duc Nguyen, director of LEaT, organiser of LEaT con. "Reaching 80% of the exhibition space sold at this early stage is a clear sign that our vision of creating a networking hub for the event and entertainment industry is needed, and we have convinced with our concept."
LEaT con will cover a wide range of topics, including the latest trends in audio, lighting, and stage technology, innovative event technologies, sustainable event planning, and much more. The Studioszene - the community event for audio engineers, producers, and home recorders - will additionally expect the top audio brands in the exhibition hall B6.
In addition to the exhibition, there will be an extensive programme of masterclasses, workshops, lectures, and panel discussions led by industry leaders and key players.
With only 20% of the exhibition space remaining, LEaT con encourages interested companies to register as soon as possible to become part of the event.


text:
The Country Music Association is working to build awarenss of the plethora of licensing opportunities the genre presents.
Brandgenuity is shifting the licensing for Gas Monkey Garage (home to the hit Discovery show “Fast ‘N Loud”) into high gear with the addition of four new partners.
GreenLight has announced a new licensing agreement with Sony Pictures to create a series of vehicle replicas from the TV show “Breaking Bad.”
Carte Blanche has unveiled a new range of Moshi Monsters 3D cards that bring to live the digital characters with new 3D technology.
Peavey Electronics has added a line musical instruments and accessories featuring Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy to their repertoire.
DC Thomson Consumer Products and shoe brand Dr. Martens are extending their partnership with the launch of a fall/winter limited edition The Beano footwear collection.
A new study by the Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association has revealed the top licensed toy brands among British children.
General Electric has agreed to sell its appliances business to Electrolux for $3.3 billion.
DHX Media has appointed Character Options as the global master toy partner for the new version of the TV series “Teletubbies.”
Women’s licensed sports fashion brand, Touch by Alyssa Milano, will launch its premiere line of maternity wear in fall 2015.
Canadian retailer Le Château has partnered with actress Lauren Holly for Lauren's Closet, an exclusive apparel collection launching this fall.
Knockout Licensing has added to the roster for “Downton Abbey” in a new deal with Weeks Roses to breed roses inspired by the TV series.
U.K. animal charity Battersea Dogs & Cats home has launched a new line of pet toys in partnership with Rupert’s Pet Shop.
The heritage boat brand Chris-Craft has teamed up with the Miniot for a range of wooden iPhone cases.
Disney Interactive has released a new web series based on the Disney Parks attraction It’s a Small World, in partnership with Rosetta Stone.
The U.K.’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution has appointed global licensing agency Brands with Influence to represent it worldwide.
Outdoor magazine Sports Afield has acquired Cabela's Trophy Properties, the real estate arm of the recreational brand Cabela’s
Stern Pinball is unveiling never-before-seen images of Ford's special edition Mustang model on its new Mustang limited edition pinball machine.
Pan Am Brands has partnered with MySky to create a line of branded airline service trolleys for the home or office.
U.K. children’s museum Eureka! is looking for licensees to collaborate on upcoming projects targeting the 5- to 7-year-old educational market.
Quarterback Johnny Manziel of the Cleveland Browns ranks No. 1 overall on the NFL Players Top 50 Player Sales list for the first quarter of 2014.
©2014 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


text:
Brand: ManulifeAdvertiser: ManulifeAgency: Dentsu McgarryBowenCountry: Hong Kong
Campaign objectives & challenges
Launching a new product during the most challenging time in recent history
2020 was a year to forget, and it was especially true for Hong Kong's insurance category. With a 34.4% drop in new product sales in the first half of 2020, the category experienced the worst slump since the 2008 financial crisis and it could be the worst year on record.1
Unlike most markets, Hong Kong relies heavily on mainland visitors for growth. As borders closed down due...


text:
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Patch 3.7 Overview
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Patch 3.7 is bringing with it split MMR per race and many more requested features.
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text:
Today’s was the day — we already got to see the Google Pixel 4 live from New York City. We’ve covered everything that was announced at Made by Google 2019, and the Pixel 4 with the Motion Sense gesture controls arrived alongside a Google Stadia release date, the Pixel Buds 2, Pixel Book Go, and the Nest Home Mini.
It’s an exciting list, and if you were unable to watch the reveals live, you can be sure you’ll have all the revelations for your perusal, at your leisure.
The Made by Google started on October 15 at 7 a.m. PT or 10 a.m. ET. It streamed live from New York City, and ran for about an hour.
You’ll be able to watch it through the internet, but we will also had people on the ground keeping an eye on the proceedings and tweeting out the latest developments. Follow Mobile Editor Julian Chokkattu, Associate Mobile Editor Corey Gaskin, and Gaming Editor Felicia Miranda on Twitter to get their latest thoughts and hands-on experiences. We’ll also be sending out the latest stories and hands-on reviews through the Digital Trends and DT Mobile Twitter accounts, so make sure to follow both of those for up-to-date information.
To watch the event, all you need to do is tune into the Made by Google 2019 livestream on the official Made by Google YouTube channel. The livestream is already up and waiting, so all you need to do is access that link on October 15 and you’re good to go.
If you’ve got a Chromecast plugged into a TV, then you can cast the video to your device — for that relaxed, laid back approach to major hardware launches. To do so, wait until the livestream is up and running properly on October 15, and tap the “Cast” icon in the YouTube app on your phone to get started.
Though the event has ended, there is a lot left to discuss. Are the Pixel Buds 2 as good as Apple’s Airpods? Why does Google’s new Pixel 4 look so different? What more can we expect from Google’s new initiative to be sustainable, and how will Google Assistant’s new speed affect user experience?
- The Pixel Watch 2 just got a feature it should have launched with
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text: 50 Cent’s investment in EFFEN Vodka turned out to be a lucrative one. Earlier this week, it was announced that the “Power” executive producer had sold his minority stake in the liquor brand for $60 million. As some wondered “why would he sell his stake if it was making him money,” 50 Cent soon commented on Instagram that those rumors were false. In fact, he stated that he’s still working with EFFEN. “I’m still on the brand I just got some cake out the deal.” The owners of EFFEN Vodka, Beam Suntory, also confirmed to The Drinks Business that 50 is still involved with the company. “Contrary to any inaccurate media reports, EFFEN Vodka’s partnership with 50 Cent continues,” the statement read. 50’s partnership with EFFEN Vodka began in 2014.


text:
As a growing number of states in the USA are legalising cannabis, you may be wondering if the same legislation is its way to the UK. There are many differing views on the matter and, if it is to be legalised, it won’t be an easy road to get there. The BBC reported last year that we are five to ten years away from legalisation, according to some MPs. This came after Canada legalised the drug to allow its recreational use in 2018. In 2004, cannabis was moved down to a Class C drug which held much lesser penalties. It was then moved back to a Class B drug. Now, if you are caught with cannabis, you could face up to five years in prison.
Why Legalise Cannabis?
The arguments for legalising cannabis often centre on its medical benefits. Many cases have been made that it is beneficial for epilepsy as it can reduce seizures. There are already some cannabis-based products that are used in the UK medicinally, like Sativex. This is a spray that has been legally prescribed since 2006 to treat muscle spasms and stiffness. This suggests that the UK already recognises some products with cannabis have the medicinal properties to be beneficial. Perhaps it won’t be long until we see a rise in the number of these products.
Another argument is that legalising cannabis can be used to economically benefit the country. If cannabis were to be legal, the UK could enforce taxes on the products which would build the economy. Moreover, this would reduce the amount of underground dealing that occurs when a product is illegal. As a result, the market would be taken away from gangs and regulated by the government. It would also mean proper education could be provided for young people to reduce drug abuse.
What Can We Do in the Meantime?
Although cannabis is currently still illegal in the UK, fortunately there is an alternative. CBD products are currently legal throughout the UK and come in a many different forms. This means that you will no doubt be able to find a product that works for you. CBD is one of the compounds found in the cannabis plant but without THC. THC is the part of the plant that induces the high-like state with mind-altering effects. As a result, CBD products can provide the benefits of cannabis, like relaxation and pain-relief, without the psychoactive effects. This means you can go on with your daily routine, including driving and working, without worrying about being mentally incapable.
From oils and balms, to teas and soap, there are a multitude of CBD products that will help your body relax and reduce your anxiety. As you begin to use a CBD product, start with a lower dosage and see how it affects you. Over time you can build up the dosage if you wish.


text:
Most of the beauty products available in India contain toxic heavy metals that can cause deadly diseases including cancer, according to a new report.
The study conducted by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a non-profit organization in New Delhi, detected presence of mercury, chromium and nickel in fairness creams and lipsticks sold by popular brands across the country.
For analysing the safety of different beauty products sold in the Indian market, CSE collected samples of 73 cosmetic products, both Indian and International brands, which included 32 fairness creams, 30 lipsticks, eight lip balms and three anti-ageing creams.
Researchers were shocked to find mercury, a heavy metal, the use of which has been banned by the Indian government, in nearly 44 percent of the fairness creams (14) tested. Blossom Kochhar's Aroma Magic Fair Lotion contained highest levels of mercury (1.97 ppm) while Procter and Gamble's (P&G) Olay Natural White (1.79 ppm) and Hindustan Unilever's Ponds White Beauty (1.36 ppm) closely followed it.
Exposure to mercury has long been associated with adverse health outcomes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), exposure to the chemical can cause severe damages to the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys. It can even lead to death and cause neurological and behavioural disorders.
"Mercury is not supposed to be present in cosmetic products. Their mere presence in these products is completely illegal and unlawful," Sunita Narain, CSE's director, said in a statement. "Additionally, the fact that our lab did not find mercury in 56 per cent of the products tested suggests that the industry has the capacity and wherewithal to clean up their act. Many companies are following the law - what is stopping the others from doing so?"
If mercury was the problem with fairness creams, lipsticks were highly packed with chromium and nickel. 15 lipstick brands tested positive for chromium and 13 for nickel.
Hearts & Tarts colorbar and L'Oreal's LancomeLabsolu Nu-204 topped the list for containing the highest concentration of chromium and nickel respectively. Lip balms and anti-ageing creams were found to be fully free from toxic chemicals.
Like mercury, both chromium and nickel have been associated with many health problems. According to health experts at the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry in the US, exposure to chromium and nickel can cause asthma, lung, nasal or sinus cancer, skin problems, cardiovascular events, reproductive and developments problems.
While responding to the report, Blossom Kochhar, informed its customer's that their products were completely free from any toxic chemicals and the product in the CSE report was recalled two years back.
"We had, on our own initiative, placed our products for extensive testing for presence of heavy metals in July 2013. We are pleased to confirm that all our tests have shown that the levels of mercury and other heavy metals are well within the permissible limits," a statement on the Facebook Page of the company, read. "Further the Fairness Cream mentioned in the CSE report is has been discontinued since 2011."
Concerned with their findings, researchers recommended the introduction of stronger laws to avoid any health risks posed by these products to the common public.
Watch Chandra Bhushan, CSE deputy director general, talking about the issue below: